Former cricket star Khan served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, when he was ousted by parliament in a no-confidence vote.
He blamed the then-head of the powerful military establishment for his downfall. Pakistan’s generals are considered the country’s political kingmakers and have directly ruled the nation for decades at a time.
Khan’s May 2023 detention lasted a matter of days but he was re-arrested three months later and has remained imprisoned since, facing a parade of court cases he claims are politically motivated.
Meanwhile PTI was targeted by a sweeping crackdown following the unrest, with thousands of grassroots supporters and senior officials arrested.
The 72-year-old was barred from running in February elections, which were marred by rigging allegations.
PTI defied the crackdown to win more seats than any other party, but a coalition of parties considered more pliable to military influence formed a government and shut them out of power.
A United Nations panel of experts found in September that Khan’s detention “had no legal basis and appears to have been intended to disqualify him from running for political office”.
